Dive with Hammerhead sharks!

On a recent trip to Rainbow Reef, our divers experienced 6 Hammerhead sharks close by. Our Canadian Dive Instructor - Jon said "They didn't even seem to notice we were there and we we able to observe them for some time".

3 days later a 12ft lone Hammerhead was spotted at Dolphin Bay - a nearby dive site. Our Paradise divers that experienced the shark, returned to the resort in excitement "The shark was so beautiful! It was swimming by so gracefully and seemed to ignore us and the other divers in the water - even the snorkellers".

Some interesting info on the Hammerhead Shark:

Hammerhead sharks are aggressive hunters, feeding on smaller fish, octopuses, squid, and crustaceans.

Hammerhead sharks are consummate predators that use their oddly shaped heads to improve their ability to find prey. Their wide-set eyes give them a better visual range than most other sharks. And by spreading their highly specialized sensory organs over their wide, mallet-shaped head, they can more thoroughly scan the ocean for food.

Found in temperate and tropical waters worldwide, far offshore and near shorelines, hammerheads are often seen in mass summer migrations seeking cooler water. They are gray-brown to olive-green on top with off-white undersides, and they have heavily serrated, triangular teeth. Their extra-tall, pointed dorsal fins are easily identifiable.

Most hammerhead species are fairly small and are considered harmless to humans. Hammerhead populations are not accurately known, but appear stable worldwide, and they are not considered threatened.

This carnivore's average lifespan in the wild is 20 to 30 years and grow in length 13 to 20 ft / 4 to 6 metres. They weigh from 500 to 1,000 lbs / 230 to 450 kg.

Did you know? Hammerhead sharks use their wide heads to attack stingrays, pinning the winged fish against the sea floor.

Just Add Water in Paradise

Paradise recently had the pleasure of hosting 12 guests from the 'Just Add Water' Dive Club from Cleveland, Ohio.

These keen divers spent several days with us out on the boats enjoying our fabulous dive sites and making friends with our Dive Crew.

Favourite spots included the Great White Wall - which had most of the group totally lost for words - and Orgasm Reef.

Though we were sad to say goodbye, we're looking forward to seeing our new Cleveland friends again soon.

Vuna Reef Adventure

Along with great dive sites, Vuna Reef also has an array of fabulous snorkelling.

Thanks to its exposure to the food-rich currents, there is an explosion of hard corals and reef fish to be found here.

The Reef is teeming with life - from thousands of tiny rainbow-coloured fish to slow-moving turtles and elegant banded sea snakes.

Climb aboard the boat and get ready to be amazed by the underwater marvels!

The Paradise Fleet

"Adi Vuki" has made a graceful retirement from service but Carl has brought with him 3 boats to make up the new Paradise fleet.

All 3 are custom-made dive boats - "Divers Reef" is a 28ft fibreglass boat, "Unplugged" is a 25ft aluminium boat and "Underwater Connection" is a 25ft fibreglass boat.

The boats all have large canopies and accommodate 6-8 divers - keeping our dive trips small and personal. And perfect for making the most of our fabulous dive sites and marine life!

Winter diving delights

As winter approaches, so do the best times for diving and sites like Fish Factory are proving to be spectacular.

Although the water temperature drops slightly, it will remain around a balmy 26 degrees celsius - perfect for donning a wetsuit and taking the plunge. And with the algal blooms of summer gone, the visibility is superb and the water crystal clear.

Recent guests Suzi and Paula were amazed by the underwater sights as they made their first ever dives and proclaimed "It's like diving in an aquarium"!

Welcome Carl and Muriel!

Paradise and Pro Dive Taveuni have been joined by 2 new faces - Carl and Muriel Fox.

Carl and Muriel have been living on Taveuni and running a dive operation on the island for several years. They have recently joined forces with Paradise - bringing with them a wealth of experience and passion for Taveuni's reefs.

Carl's specialty is the Rainbow Reef dive sites while Muriel directs operations with the boys at the Dive Shop.

We welcome them both to Paradise and look forward to many enjoyable dives with them.

Orgasm Reef

What better way to enjoy your diving than on an early morning trip to Orgasm Reef?

Our most “pleasurable” dive site is located on the outer wall of Vuna Reef and is named after the breeding habits of the reef sharks that we see there.

This is usually a big fish encounter dive – large schools of barracuda are common, along with whitetip reef sharks and turtles. Toutou has even seen a silvertip reef shark there recently!

Snorkelling Safari

With such fabulous snorkelling around the Resort, why not make the most of it and go on a “snorkel safari”?

Paradise’s local guides – Wilson and Toutou – are expert snorkellers and have sharp eyes for spotting all those little critters. Hop on the transport to neighbouring Dolphin Bay or Vatuwiri, then jump in the water and let the gentle current drift you back to Paradise.

Having grown up here, the boys have a vast amount of knowledge about the surrounding ocean and its inhabitants. Recent sightings include turtles and banded sea snakes – what will you see?

Discover Scuba in Paradise

What does it feel like the first time? How do you know what to do?

If you’ve always wanted to breathe underwater, Paradise is the perfect place to Discover Scuba. Spend some time with one of our expert instructors before taking the plunge and going diving with them on our House Reef.

Experience weightlessness as you glide effortlessly over hard and soft corals and meet some of our favourite underwater friends – you might even find Nemo!

The Stairs

With its swimthroughs and archways, ‘The Stairs’ is undoubtedly the favourite site of the Dive Team – and we’ve been having some great conditions for diving it in!

Soft white corals are abundant here and are becoming ever more prolific. We’ve also been lucky enough to see two whitetip reef sharks patrolling the entrances to the swimthroughs as we spiral up and down the ‘staircase’.

One guest recently described this as ‘the place where mermaids should live’ and, with its breathtaking beauty, it’s easy to see why.